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Pontiac Solstice

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Comments

  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    The 2006 Pontiac Solstice has NOT been "delayed."

    It is NOW official that it WILL go on sale in September, 2005.

    GM NEVER OFFICIALLY announced when the 2006 Pontiac Solstice would go on sale before last week.

    They simply projected "mid 05."

    The 2006 Toyota MR2 won't be sold here. One less competitor which should have used the Toyota Celica GT-S's 180 hp I-4, but then again, Toyota isn't really into sports cars/racing/performance considering their size.
  • 62vetteefp62vetteefp Member Posts: 6,043
    Please let me know where September is announced? GM has made no announcement.
  • solsticedcsolsticedc Member Posts: 1
    I was called yesterday by a rep. from Pontiac to confirm my order for one of the 1,000 Solstice's. When I asked about a production date he said not to except delivery until the 4th quarter, which means late Sept. or Oct.
  • lhesslhess Member Posts: 379
    october to december.
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    The Solstice has been updated on Pontiac's website.

    check here

    link title

    image

    image
  • 62vetteefp62vetteefp Member Posts: 6,043
    Again, Pontiac is being conservative. They want to not give dates anymore. Gets them in to much trouble with the press and buyers.
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    They wouldn't have plans to race the Solstice if they were being conservative.
  • lhesslhess Member Posts: 379
    that's the first pic i've seen with the top up. Not bad!!
  • beliverbeliver Member Posts: 155
    Well, I gotta admit the thing is alluring ! I swore that after my Fiero fiasco , a less than great affair with a recent Firebird and a GMC junk wagon Sonoma I' ll bite ONE MORE TIME !

    Curious tho, the prices say "after incentives". Does this mean that they plan to discount the things from the git-go ? Strange they would do that. I have a load of GM card credits built up so that plus any incentives could add up to a deal to good to be true. We'll see, we'll see.

    Believer
  • montanafanmontanafan Member Posts: 945
    I see "before incentives" on the Solstice first page. Checked a couple other models on the Pontiac site, and they say "before" also.

    Since GM Card earnings are a corporate wide program, I would expect they would be available on the car. Although there will be some sort of limit on the newer cards.
  • 62vetteefp62vetteefp Member Posts: 6,043
    Just lawyer speak? For some reason it is on all prices. Need to put that in to be sure it is clear that this is an MSRP w/o incentives. This is where GM has gotten into trouble. Their MSRP's are so much higher than the actural selling price. If you do comparison shopping and do not figure in the incentives, which are impossible to figure out w/o going to a dealership, GM probably cannot compete and the possible buyer looks elsewhere. This is what GM is trying to fix by repricing. Hopefully the incentives will get back only to cars that need it. End of model year, too many days of supply, winter time period (traditional slow selling period), etc.
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    By this fall, the only new sports car that you can order for around $20,000 with be the new Mazda MX-5. The Toyota MR-2 is going bye-bye. I don't see why incentives would be needed for the Solstice considering the following:

    - benefits of sheet hydroforming

    - 2.4 liter 177 hp I-4

    - great styling which is the result of a few car enthusiasts working on it rather than a whole bunch of people

    - driver-oriented interior

    - factory-backed in Grand-Am Cup racing

    - coupe coming along to boost sales

    - one competitor the new Mazda MX-5 which is what the 1999 Miata should have looked like but it still isn't exciting as the Solstice.
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    Someone said this earlier, but I'd have to agree.

    "The new Solstice is the best-looking affordable GM car since the 1969 Camaro."

    I really hope designs as cool as the Solstice and new Saturn Sky come from GM.
  • beliverbeliver Member Posts: 155
    I had a '69 Camaro. A pretty nice looking car considering all the other "junk iron" being built @ the time. Proud as punch they day I brought that thing home. Drove up to the front door, called for my wife and son to come out and marvel what GM had wrought. Next door neighbor came over too ( Ford Man) Jumped out of that puppy, closed the door and heard a strange "tinkle, tinkle", opened the door back up and the "GM Mark of Excellence" logo plate (remember those) had come unglued and fallen off onto the door sill. Sadley this was just the opening scene of a hollywood type horror story that put GM on the road to ruin in my mind. LOL !!.

    I still have both of those plates in my desk drawer, as the one on the passanger side fell off the next day as well. Just the beginning of a long list of stuff that fell off or broke.

    Believer
  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,704
    that is something about the 1969 Camaro. I was the person that posted that comment about the 1969 Camaro. I honestly think that the 2006 Pontiac Solstice is the best looking GM rig since the '69 Camaro.

    Through the wonders of the Internet I am now able to learn that GM was busy pulling the same stuff they are pulling now but that was way back in 1969! And they now all want great medical insurance-even after retirement? Forget it! What kind of a company do you think GM is? Giving? Haa!

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    Hmm...

    I think this thread needs to return more to the 2006 Pontiac Solstice rather than just GM this and that. There are other threads about GM today.

    The Solstice just isn't like other GM products.
  • beliverbeliver Member Posts: 155
    xkss: Let's HOPE that it WON'T be like other GM products because IF it is then it will be just a three year production run and dumped into the junk pile of failed products such as the Fiero, Riata, etc.

    believer
  • SylviaSylvia Member Posts: 1,636
    Back to the Solstice please.
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    So what do people think of the styling of the new Pontiac Solstice?

    I think it looks awesome.
  • dirkworkdirkwork Member Posts: 210
    This is one vehicle that I'm amazed has not generated more hype. Shows how competitive the car market has become. My gosh, years ago if GM was going to produce a well-designed 2 seat domestic sports car convertible with a stiff frame, high revving drivetrain and knockout looks for an affordable price, it would have been standing room only.
  • dieselonedieselone Member Posts: 5,729
    Well, I haven't seen it in person yet. It looks good on paper, but I'm leaving final judgment until they are actually on the lots for sale, which won't happen for a while.

    That's when things should really start heating up.
  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,704
    this new Pontiac Solstice looks very cool. It would be great if it's mechanicals ran it like a spinning top and the parts and assemblies worked like they should. Because this car is a knockout that looks like it will be priced very competitively as well.

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • lhesslhess Member Posts: 379
    I just hope it is not typical Pontiac - good looks and poor mechanics and quality. I'm glad to see Pontiac has gotten away from all the plastic cladding they did for a while and are just offering a good-looking, clean car. I'm not a GM fan any longer, but I certainly hope they've done this one right! If the car performs as good as it looks, I can see me driving one in a year or so!!
  • crrobcrrob Member Posts: 1
    Has anyone heard anything about Pontiac planning on coming out with a supercharged or turbo version of the Solstice any time soon? If this car packed 200hps or a bit more it would def be at the top of my list. I am currently considering switching to this car from my 04 Acura RSX but don't want to take a big performance hit...
  • skeezixskeezix Member Posts: 45
    The Cobalt SS has a supercharged ecotec. It makes sense that a version of the Solstice's ecotec could be supercharged some day.
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    It could get the Colbat SS's 205 hp supercharged ECOTEC I-4.

    What do you guys think of the Solstice's curves behind the driver's head?

    image
  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,704
    like a modern-day Batmobile, man.

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • exalteddragon1exalteddragon1 Member Posts: 729
    have a dual exaust?

    I have never been a fan of singe exhaust, especially on good looking cars, does anyone know if they will put another pipe over there?

    Thanks.
  • iluvmysephia1iluvmysephia1 Member Posts: 7,704
    going to go with single exhaust on this one. Modification information might be hard to find right now if you're already looking to double-pipe it. I'm sure it can be done without too much gray matter evaporating, though.

    2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick

  • paopao Member Posts: 1,867
    Am seriously thinking about a preorder..here..check with a small dealer herein MD..he already has 15 preorders.....after doing the research on the specs...for wheelbase...l/w/h etc......and comparing it to other "roadsters"..it appears to be about the same size as the BMW Z4......talking to several dealers...a fulled loaded solstice..should be in the 25K range......so we will see...thinking seriously about putting a deposit down on one this weekend.....delivery appears to be in the Sept/oct timeframe...Im sure all this has been discussed....but we like the looks...of the car....will drive it before we take final delivery...the dealer here in MD will order...with the deposit....a
  • wfbwfb Member Posts: 10
    What made the sports cars of the 50's and 60's so popular? Two things - they were fun to drive and they were cheap to buy. They were cheap because they were basic, no frills cars. Todays cheapest sports car is the Miata and that comes in at around $22 grand. What if a car company went back to the roots of the sports car and offered a basic fun car? No power windows, no power door locks, manual rag top, etc. A small and light car like this doesn't even need power steering. I've had 3 sports cars - a Fiat 850 Spider, a Triumph 250 (aka TR 5) and a Triumph spitfire. None of these cars had any of the above items - nor did they have air conditioning or automatic transmissions - but they were a hell of a lot of fun. They didn't have big engines but, when you sit as low to the ground as these cars did, you feel like you're going a hundred when you're only doing 60. Would a car company today consider producing a retro sports car for under $12 thousand dollars? I wonder if any of you readers out there whould buy a car like that. What do you think?
  • 62vetteefp62vetteefp Member Posts: 6,043
    The Solstice is about what you say. Not a lot of "convenience" frills in its base form. I do not see how anyone could sell a low volume car for under $12K. Not even China can do that. The Solstice is not retro though.
  • soapwaxshamsoapwaxsham Member Posts: 14
    I think it is almost impossible to build a modern day TR5 for anything under 15k, for several reasons:

    1, Cost of CAD software + support + design time vs. Napkin sketches.

    2. Levels of driving performance. Component technology has progressed so much that on average a modern car drives better than the large majority of past vehicles; producing "useable higher performance" is more difficult than just "keeping it simple".

    3. Regulations - including the cost of internatinal certification - are so much more complex than in the 50s and 60s, and the cost to meet them is much higher. think of the required content - air bags, ignition immobilizers, crumple zones, collapsible steering columns, ...

    4. Basic technology ( materials and processes ) is so much more advanced, that a car using truly basic technology would feel like a relic.
  • soapwaxshamsoapwaxsham Member Posts: 14
    as a follow on ... It seems that with the Solstice, Pontiac is trying to change the process of building the car, using existing parts, using different production methods, speeding up design, to produce a low-volume low-cost car that looks and drives great.
  • beliverbeliver Member Posts: 155
    soapy: This is exactly what Pontiac did with the Fiero. Dug into the parts bin for a lump of a engine (Iron Duke, UGH !!) cobbled together the suspension etc. We all know how THAT turned out don't we.

    believer
  • wfbwfb Member Posts: 10
    OK - I'm looking at ads in todays paper and I see a Hyundai Accent for $8K, a Toyota Corolla for under $14K and several other cars & makes for less than $15K. My contention is that, if these cars can be made to sell so cheaply - why not a true sports car too. Perhaps you are right that they can't make one to sell for less than $15K - but that would still be $10K less than the least expensive sports car (Miata) available today. The rest are $35K and up.

    To answer your point #4 - I didn't say they should use basic technology. What I am saying is that today's cars are loaded with expensive extra features that we could do without on a sports car. Do we realy need remote keyless entry and power windows? Would you be willing to put the top up or down manually to save a few thousand dollars? And does the top really have to be hidden away under a panel?

    The whole point of what I'm asking is - would you folks out there buy a sports car without all the extra features if you could get it at a much more reasonable price? Or are we so used to these features that we can't do without them?
  • dirkworkdirkwork Member Posts: 210
    Your cheap open air sports car made with available basic technology was already made years ago -- the Geo Storm convertible! It used a basic OHC 4 cyl engine and powertrain, was low on power, used inexpensive strut suspension off the compact car, didn't have a lot of power, and was unrefined. I think you can find one used for a lot less than the Solstice too! Of course it was FWD but for the price, you could get everyone in your family one, if you can find enough that are still running.
  • beliverbeliver Member Posts: 155
    dirk: Yes, it seems doable. I think a Hyundai Accent platform fitted with a bare bones roadster body could be done including the air bags, basic safety stuff and manual rag top, decent, durable, plain jane interior etc for well under 12K . it could be the present day Austin-Healey Sprite or MG Midget with modern day reliability. How much R & D would it really take to paste on a roadster body to the exhisting Accent platform anyway?

    As to the statement that the Chinese can't do it, well don't be too sure about that either. I have a family member that works for Delphi and is a liasion to China. They have MANY rabbits to pull out of their hat that will knock a lot of the competetion on their collective butts ! GM should be afraid. Very afraid.

    believer
  • cankercanker Member Posts: 10
    http://www.allpar.com/model/concepts/dodge-razor.html

    the Razor offers the necessities for driving, nothing more. No power windows or mirrors, no radio or leather power seats, no frills whatsoever. Dodge Razor offers its two occupants lightweight, competition-style seats, four-point racing harnesses, storage behind their seats and the pure joy of driving.

    and it will probably never be built
  • ClairesClaires Member Posts: 1,222
    The discussion here is about the Pontiac Solstice. You can talk about sports cars in general in the Sports Cars: The Definitive Discussion.

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  • leadfoot_edleadfoot_ed Member Posts: 22
    It's going to be interesting how the Solstice and the new Miata compare. The '06 MX-5 is nearly 400 lbs. lighter, and has about the same horsepower, though not as much torque. The new MX-5 looks clean & purposeful, but I've got to admit the Solstice is pretty darn sexy for what it is. I think the Mazda will remain the choice for pure enthusiasts, but I think Pontiac will sell quite a few of their new roadsters. I heard some buzz about GM considering putting the 3.6 high-feature V-6 in the Solstice. To me, that's a much more compelling buy. Even if that put it up close to $30k, then you'd have a BMW Z4 competitor (at least objectively) at about a $11k discount. I think if Pontiac really wants to get true enthusiasts interested in this car, it needs some real beans under the hood, and a 6-speed tranny. Then again, at this point, they're probably just looking for sales, and in that regard, it will probably do fine.
  • ikramericaikramerica Member Posts: 101
    [quote]That could possibly be the case but as long as they are gonna be phoney about the sound of the door shutting why not use the sound from a Mercedes door.[/quote]

    have you ever seen a movie with a mercedes? when they close the door, it sounds like a train wreck. this is because sound engineers have decided what a "door slam" should sound like based on, oh I don't know, 1965 fords, and they just use that same sound idea over and over and over.

    Pontiac likely had no input into the sound design used for the show, as this kind of stuff is usually added after execs approve the cut.

    PS - this is the first american car I've considered for years. even if it isn't perfect, at 25k, would still be a great "fun" car to take out on weekends and sunny summer days. :shades:
  • techman3techman3 Member Posts: 2
    Finally a car company has created a great looking moderately priced sports car for those of us who could never afford a Corvette or Porche. Let's see if the dealers can hold the line on the price and not go the way of the first Chrysler PT Cruiser and jack up the price by thousands of dollars just because they can. I'm betting short supply and big demand will place this car out of reach of some of us for the first couple of years. At least until Pontiac can deliver enough cars to satisfy demand.
  • beliverbeliver Member Posts: 155
    techman3: Greed will win out everytime. With car sales generally in the dumper at this time the temptation to "stick it to us" will of course win out. That's just the way the free enterprise system works, like it or not. Whether it reaches the level of insanity that the PT Cruiser whipped up only time will tell. I predict it will be much worse due to the almost laughable low production rates for the car. Even with the fairly high production rate of the PT it still was not uncommon to see offers of close to 10K over MSRP. I have personal knowldge of one guy here in Florida, bought one from a dealer paid 5K over MSRP, sold it a week later for 8K over to a used car dealer and he turned the thing in a day for 10K over. !! Just nuts !

    You may remember a similiar think went on when the Miata came out as well.

    believer
  • xkssxkss Member Posts: 722
    I just read on autoweek.com that Pontiac has 8,177 orders for the Solstice as of today.
  • beliverbeliver Member Posts: 155
    xkss: I bet a lot of those orders are "positions" or pure speculation that will be "sold " to the highest bidder on E-Bay or some ad in Autoweek etc. Many a "order" for PT Cruisers and Miatas changed hands two or three times before actual delivery. Dealers should reqire the original person who ordered the car to actually take delivery or default on the deal. This is getting better than the camel market in Casablanca LOL !

    believer
  • danf1danf1 Member Posts: 897
    From what I've heard they require the customer to keep the car for at least a year before re selling it. If they want to get out of it, they can only sell it back to the dealer that they bought it from. A bit of a different market, but I would guess that it works for them.
  • paopao Member Posts: 1,867
    Spoke with the internet and GM power buyer rep of the largest Pontiac dealer here in northern va.....they were allocated 2 of the original 1000 which they expect to recieve in mid Sept/Oct ....have a current wait list for 30....are taking no special orders...due to no time for delivery....they are expecting their second delivery of production models in the mid to late Nov time frame...have an allocation of 15 due in....all high end with most options.....they ordered no baseline models.....the third delivery due in late Jan/Feb 06 at which time they will then accept orders for the car....I point blank ask him is the dealership going to add the "market adjust value" much like honda did with their coupe release a few years back.....He told me they had made a corporate decision to sell only at MSRP and no higher...I asked could I get that in writing..and he said yes...stop by the dealership anytime..... :)

    With the state of affairs of GM....I think it would be extremely risky for them to attempt to sell this car for a adjusted market value..sure there are those with deep pockets..who want to be the first on the block....and I bet some dealers will do it......this one didnt even want a deposit.....the rep stated..."you are on my list..I expect some to fall off because they simply dont want to wait for the car...and is bargaining to get a another 10-15 in in Nov as well, when I get them in I will start calling my list...explaining the price, options and color....and ask do you want it..if not..I move down my list".....we will see....I will sit patient
  • paopao Member Posts: 1,867
    if we like the car why would we want to get out of it in a few years...I bought the new designed malibu maxx in 04 and love the car...the resale value is low on the car.....but Im not looking to get out of it.....so dont quite understand your logic here........paying way to much for it.........25K for a fully loaded model.....sure it isnt a BMW Z4...but its 10-20 k less and cheaper and bigger that the high end miatas on the road today...I applaud them for getting back into the roadster.....and dont see any comparison to the fiero here at all in design or to who they might be appealing too..........would like to see a v-6 under the hood......but if the car is successful.....I bet we will see that in the future.....
  • beliverbeliver Member Posts: 155
    pao: I think the reference to the Fiero and the Slostice was the concept that made each possible at the time.

    The Fiero was a "parts bin exercise" using what they had on hand that could be put together with minimum R&D. Of course by today's standards they did not have much to work with initially. Clunky, four banger engine out of the X bodies, modified X drive trains and suspensions too. The Solstice will be a much better thought out piece with pretty good mechanicals but no less a parts binner too, but a better one. Actually the Fiero was pretty well sorted out by 1987 and was not too bad for the times. Of course by that time GM had lost interest due to lagging sales and much bad press so they canned it. I don't think the Solstice will suffer the same fate. It'll be around for awhile. After all the hype and dust settles you'll be able to buy one with a hefty incentive just like all the rest of the iron GM rolls out.

    believer
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